Door replacement
Door Replacement Service
We fit replacement doors. We also tell you when yours does not need one, when the association owns it, and when the town will want a permit — which is three reasons the quote might be lower than you expected.
- When
- Only when a repair will not hold
- Options
- Slab swap or prehung unit
- Windows
- We do not replace those
- Permits
- Often required — ask your town
First question
Before you buy a door, who owns the opening?
This matters more for replacement than for anything else on this site. Commissioning a new entry door that the association owns, or that a historic district controls, is an expensive way to find out.
If you rent
Tell your landlord or managing agent first
In almost every tenancy the fabric of the building — doors, windows, frames and the locks in them — is the owner's responsibility rather than yours. We are happy to take the call either way, but a tenant paying out of pocket for a landlord's repair is a thing we would rather flag than quietly bill for.
If you are the landlord
You own it, and the clock may be running
Doors that will not lock, windows that will not open and missing screens are among the most common findings on a municipal inspection at change of tenant. Getting them done between tenancies is both cheaper and considerably less stressful than getting them done against a deadline.
If you are in a condo or co-op
The association may own the opening
In most New Jersey condominium arrangements the exterior of a unit, including windows and entry doors, belongs to the association rather than to you — though interior doors, shower enclosures and interior hardware usually do not. Check your documents before you commission anything exterior.
If you own the house
Then it is simply yours
Which makes it the straightforward case. The only thing worth checking is whether you are in a historic district, because that can affect what you are permitted to change on a street-facing elevation.
Inspections
When replacement is driven by an inspection
Occasionally a finding genuinely cannot be cleared by repair. More often it can, and the replacement was somebody's assumption rather than the inspector's requirement.
| Common finding | What it usually takes to clear it |
|---|---|
| A door that cannot be made to latch at all | Check the frame first. A racked opening defeats a new door exactly as thoroughly as it defeated the old one, and that is the commonest wasted replacement we see. |
| A slab warped past adjustment | This is a genuine replacement case. A door that will not meet its stop along its length cannot be shimmed into compliance. |
| Rot through the slab rather than the frame | Also genuine, particularly on a timber door at an unsheltered entry. The frame may still be fine, which means a slab swap rather than a full unit. |
| A missing fire-rated door in a multi-family building | Specialist work. Rated assemblies have to be installed and documented to preserve the rating, and we will say so rather than improvise. |
| Cosmetic damage or an old-looking door | Not an inspection finding, and not a reason to replace. We will tell you so even though it costs us the job. |
Requirements differ from town to town and they change, so treat this as the pattern we see rather than as your municipality's list. Your local construction or housing office is the authority on your address.
Getting to you
Getting a door into a New Jersey house
This is the practical constraint nobody mentions until the day. In a lot of the state, getting a prehung unit to the opening is harder than fitting it.
Row and attached houses
Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City and the older parts of almost every town. No side yard, no rear access, and frequently nowhere to put a ladder. Upper-floor work is done from inside with the sash removed, and we plan that before we quote rather than discovering it on the day.
Two and three-family houses
Enormously common across north Jersey. Several tenancies behind one front door, shared entries that take four households' worth of traffic, and access that has to be arranged with people who are at work. Tell us who holds keys when you call.
Apartment and condo buildings
Loading restrictions, service lifts, certificates of insurance for the management company, and time windows when work is permitted. We deal with all of it regularly, but it is much easier arranged in advance than negotiated in a lobby.
Parking, honestly
In a lot of New Jersey there is nowhere to put a van. If you have a driveway, a permit or a spot we can use, that information is worth more to the visit than almost anything else you could tell us.
Permits
Will this need a permit?
For replacement specifically, this is the question to settle before anything else. Here is our position in plain terms.
Repairs, generally not
Repairing what is already there — hardware, glass in an existing frame, a sash, a lock, a threshold — does not usually involve a permit anywhere in the state. It is one of the quieter advantages of fixing rather than replacing.
Replacements, often yes
Many New Jersey municipalities require a permit to replace a door or a window, and the requirements and fees differ from town to town. Rules also change. Your municipal construction office is the authority on your address, and it is worth a phone call before you commit to anything.
What we will not do
We will not tell you a job does not need a permit so that it looks cheaper, and we cannot sign off compliance on your behalf — that is the inspector's role. What we will do is tell you plainly when we think a permit is likely to be involved.
New Jersey conditions
What to specify for a New Jersey door
If you are genuinely replacing, four things matter more here than the brochure suggests.
Corrosion resistance near the shore
Within sight of salt air, standard hardware is a false economy. Stainless and corrosion-resistant hinges, strikes and fixings cost a little more at the point of fitting and last several times as long.
A threshold that can be adjusted later
Buildings settle, thresholds wear, and sweeps change as they age. An adjustable threshold means that can be corrected without taking anything apart.
Hardware rated for the traffic
On a shared entry in a two or three-family house, specify commercial-grade hinges and a proper closer. Residential hardware on a four-household door is a repeat visit waiting to happen.
Whether the street elevation is controlled
Historic districts across the state review what faces the street. It is far cheaper to ask first than to replace twice.
Questions
Replacement questions
You repair doors. Why do you also replace them?
Because sometimes a door is genuinely finished. Having both on the price list is also the only honest way to give repair advice — we gain either way, so we have no reason to steer you.
Do you replace windows too?
No. Windows we repair only. If a window genuinely needs replacing we will say so and tell you who to call, and we will not quote it.
Will I need a permit?
Often, for a replacement. It varies by municipality and the rules change, so your local construction office is the authority. We will tell you plainly when we think one is likely.
Slab swap or prehung unit?
Depends entirely on whether your frame is sound. If it is, a slab swap costs a fraction and does not disturb your trim.
We are in a condo. Can I just change my front door?
Check your documents first. In most New Jersey condominium arrangements the exterior door belongs to the association, and changing it unilaterally causes problems.
Can you get a prehung unit up our stairs?
Sometimes, and sometimes not, which is exactly why we look before quoting. In a lot of older New Jersey housing a slab swap is the only sensible route regardless of cost.
Coverage
Door replacement across New Jersey
A mobile service covering the whole state, from Bergen to Cape May. Pick your town below, or call and we will come to you.
Door Replacement Service Across New Jersey
Related
Our other services
Ten services, one trade. Whatever else needs doing can go on the same visit.
Next step
Let us check before you buy a door
Free assessment across New Jersey, including whether a permit is likely.